The 2015 Class to Date

Image Credit: University of Maryland

While the 2014 college football season is still a few months away, the recruiting season for 2015 talent is in full swing. The University of Maryland football coaching staff has been hard at work this off-season trying to repeat the recruiting success of the past few seasons. As of June 16th, the team has picked up verbal commitments from 9 members of the class of 2015. These recruits come from all over the country, as 5 of the 9 recruits are from outside of the state of Maryland. While all of these recruits may not seem very highly ranked, you must remember how good Randy Edsall and his staff are at finding diamonds in the rough. Many of the Terps’ starters started as 2 or 3-star recruits, including starting running back Brandon Ross.

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Kareem Ali, Jr. – Cornerback

High School: Timber Creek Regional High School (Sicklerville, New Jersey)
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 170 pounds

Rivals Rank: 4-star CB (28th Overall, 7th State)
247Sports Rank: 3-star CB (50th Overall, 14th State)
Scout Rank: 3-star CB (41st Overall, N/A State)
ESPN Rank: 3-star CB (N/A Overall, N/A State)

40 Time: 4.40 seconds (247Sports); N/A (Rivals, Scout, ESPN)

Other Offers: Boston College, Clemson, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Old Dominion, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin

Kareem Ali, Jr. is a big pickup for the Terps in this class, as he adds depth to a thin cornerback position after the team lost two key players after the 2013 season. He is a fast cornerback, with good natural skills. While he is on the small side, he isn’t afraid to jam wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. He covers receivers well, but does struggle to recover if he gets beat. His hands also need to improve, as he isn’t quite the play-maker that coaches will be looking for yet. While the Terps are thin at cornerback for 2015, Ali shouldn’t have to make a big immediate impact due to the presence of players like William Likely, Jarrett Ross, and Daniel Ezeagwu.

E.J. Donahue – Offensive Lineman

High School: Lingamore High School (Frederick, Maryland)
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 330 pounds

Rivals Rank: 3-star OG (26th Overall, 11th State)
247Sports Rank: 4-star OG (17th Overall, 5th State)
Scout Rank: 4-star OT (15th Overall, N/A State)
ESPN Rank: 3-star OT (47th Overall, 12th State)

40 Time: 5.40 seconds (247Sports); N/A (Rivals, Scout, ESPN)

Other Offers: Florida State, Old Dominion, West Virginia, Wisconsin

It’s not too often that a high school junior lineman weighs in at 330 pounds, but E.J. Donahue does just that. He is a borderline 4-star offensive lineman, and is another big pickup for Randy Edsall and his staff. The offensive line has been a questionable position for the team over the past few seasons, but the coaching staff continues to load up on talent at both tackle and guard. Recruiting analysts are split on where Donahue fits best on the line, but I believe that his pass blocking ability and strength would make him an excellent offensive tackle. While he is a big young man, he uses his size very well, and has great body control. He has shown the ability to get very low on opposing defenders, but needs to improve his flexibility (according to Scout).

Keiron Howard – Defensive Tackle

High School: Potomac High School (Oxon Hill, Maryland)
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 293 pounds

Rivals Rank: 3-star DT (29th Overall, 12th State)
247Sports Rank: Unranked DT
Scout Rank: 3-star OG (40th Overall, N/A State)
ESPN Rank: 3-star OG (N/A Overall, N/A State)

40 Time: 4.90 seconds (247Sports); N/A (Rivals, Scout, ESPN)

Other Offers: Buffalo, Hampton, Marshall, New Mexico, Old Dominion, Temple, Tennessee

While Keiron Howard was once assumed to be headed to Rocky Top, Maryland was able to make a late push for his commitment and steal him away from Tennessee. Recruiting analysts are split as to which side of the ball he will play on, but he will play nose tackle in Brian Stewart’s 3-4 defensive scheme. It isn’t every day that you find a defensive tackle with the ability to play the nose position in a 3-4, which is why most college football teams run a defensive system with 4 down linemen. Darius Kilgo will be graduating after the 2014 season, so the Terps will be looking for his replacement in the middle of their defensive line. Players like Azubuike Ukandu and Kingsley Opara will surely be in the mix, but Howard has a chance to make an immediate impact if he is able to impress the coaches enough.

Ellis McKennie – Offensive Guard

High School: McDonogh School (Owings Mills, Maryland)
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 285 pounds

Rivals Rank: 3-star OG (30th Overall, 13th State)
247Sports Rank: Unranked OG
Scout Rank: 2-star OG (N/A Overall, N/A State)
ESPN Rank: Unranked OG

40 Time: N/A (Rivals, 247Sports, Scout, ESPN)

Other Offers: Marshall, Rutgers

Ellis McKennie was the Terps’ third commitment to their class of 2015, and is another offensive lineman that Randy Edsall and his staff have stock-piled for their entrance into the Big Ten Conference. While there isn’t a whole lot of information on McKennie, he is a solid offensive guard who made an early choice to head to College Park. He is a local kid, who helped lead McDonogh to an undefeated season last year. He is a very strong young man, and also spent time as a shot-put competitor for the last two years. He will need some polishing for sure, but should be a good depth addition for the Maryland offensive line.

Deltron Sands – Running Back

High School: Saint Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 173 pounds

Rivals Rank: 3-star RB (N/A Overall, N/A State)
247Sports Rank: Unranked RB
Scout Rank: 3-star RB (N/A Overall, N/A State)
ESPN Rank: 3-star RB (N/A Overall, N/A State)

40 Time: 4.77 seconds (247Sports); N/A (Rivals, Scout, ESPN)

Other Offers: Cincinnati, Florida International, South Florida, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Western Michigan

As part of the Terps’ foray into Florida recruiting, Deltron Sands is a quality pickup for Randy Edsall and his staff. In an offense built on running the football in a variety of different ways, Deltron Sands is the good all-around player that Mike Locksley wants in a starting running back. He has good strength, and is able to muscle his way between the tackles. He is also able to get to the edge with good speed, as well as catch the ball out of the backfield. The Terps have started Brandon Ross at running back over the past two seasons due in large part to his versatility. Deltron Sands is the type of running back who could be starting for Maryland when Brandon Ross graduates.

Ty Johnson – Athlete

High School: Fort Hill High School (Cumberland, Maryland)
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 170 pounds

Rivals Rank: 2-star CB (N/A Overall, N/A State)
247Sports Rank: 3-star ATH (89th Overall, 22nd State)
Scout Rank: 2-star RB (N/A Overall, N/A State)
ESPN Rank: Unranked RB

40 Time: 4.40 seconds (Rivals); 4.68 seconds (ESPN); N/A (247Sports, Scout)

Other Offers: Albany

Speed is the name of the game for Ty Johnson, who clocked a 4.40 second 40-yard-dash time in front of some of the Maryland football coaches. They immediately took interest, and offered him a scholarship soon after. He wasn’t expecting the offer, as the only other school to offer him was Albany. He played both running back and cornerback in high school, and there have been very few hints as to where he will be playing in College Park. Mike Locksley will want him on the offensive side of the ball due to his speed, and Brian Stewart will want him on the defensive side of the ball for the same reason. I’d expect him to start his Maryland career as a cornerback, since that will be the biggest positional need. However, it would not surprise me at all to see Ty Johnson playing running back or slot receiver for Maryland somewhere down the line.

Gage Shaffer – Quarterback

High School: Frankfort High School (Ridgeley, West Virginia)
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 205 pounds

Rivals Rank: 2-star Pro-Style QB (N/A Overall, N/A State)
247Sports Rank: 3-star Pro-Style QB (43rd Overall, 2nd State)
Scout Rank: 2-star QB (N/A Overall, N/A State)
ESPN Rank: Unranked Pro-Style QB

40 Time: N/A (Rivals, 247Sports, Scout, ESPN)

Other Offers: None

The first thing that stands out about Gage Shaffer is his height. He stands tall at 6 feet, 7 inches, something that Randy Edsall noticed immediately the first time that he saw him. He uses that height to see over defenses effortlessly, and uses his size well when throwing or running the ball. He isn’t the most mobile of quarterbacks, but he certainly isn’t immobile. Nevertheless, he would be best fit in a pro-style offense, something that Mike Locksley really doesn’t run at Maryland. There is definitely a possibility that Shaffer gets converted into a tight end, especially since he is a varsity athlete in multiple sports. If things continue to go downhill for the men’s basketball program, Mark Turgeon may start knocking on Randy Edsall’s door for Gage Shaffer (I’m kidding, of course).

Mbi Tanyi – Defensive End

High School: George Bush High School (Houston, Texas)
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 245 pounds

Rivals Rank: 2-star Strong-Side DE (N/A Overall, N/A State)
247Sports Rank: 3-star Strong-Side DE (58th Overall, 162nd State)
Scout Rank: 3-star OG (N/A Overall, N/A State)
ESPN Rank: Unranked DE

40 Time: 5.00 seconds (ESPN); N/A (Rivals, 247Sports, Scout)

Other Offers: Air Force, Colorado, Houston, Louisiana Tech, Northern Colorado, Texas State, UTEP

Keenan McCardell’s first recruit as a member of the Maryland coaching staff is Mbi Tanyi, a strong-side defensive end from Texas. McCardell is in charge of Texas recruiting for Maryland, and has made an early impact in that respect. Tanyi should fit well into Brian Stewart’s 3-4 defensive system as a defensive end, but will have to bulk up a bit. He has good pass-rushing ability, but will need to improve his coverage skills if he makes the move to linebacker. He also played offensive guard in high school, but was recruited to Maryland as a defensive player.

Mason Zimmerman – Center

High School: Anthony Wayne High School (Whitehouse, Ohio)
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 275 pounds

Rivals Rank: 2-star C (N/A Overall, N/A State)
247Sports Rank: 3-star C (16th Overall, 45th State)
Scout Rank: Unranked C
ESPN Rank: Unranked C

40 Time: N/A (Rivals, 247Sports, Scout, ESPN)

Other Offers: Air Force, Cincinnati, Marshall, Toledo

Maryland’s second recruit from Ohio in two years, Mason Zimmerman adds depth for the Terps on the offensive line moving forward. Randy Edsall and his staff are loading up on offensive linemen once again, and new offensive line coach Greg Studrawa was able to grab Zimmerman for 2015. The Terps will lose starting center Sal Conaboy after this season and are expecting to start former backup center Evan Mulrooney at left guard in 2014, so depth at center is crucial moving forward. Zimmerman won’t be ready to start in 2015, but has good potential no matter where he plays on the offensive line.